The Yankees will go through the meat grinder over the next two weeks, with series against the Astros, Blue Jays and Red Sox. After a sweep of the Nationals, they have a golden opportunity to put up three or more wins this weekend against the Chicago White Sox, a team 29 games back in the AL Central. The White Sox have surpassed last year’s win total already, with 48 this season, but this is a team the Yankees should slap around.
All times below in Eastern.
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Thursday: Will Warren vs. Davis Martin (7:40pm)
The Yankees send both of their rookie righthanders to the hill in this four-game set, with Warren set to kick off the weekend. In many ways, he is having the most rookie pitcher season of all time, with a FIP 3/4 of a run lower than his ERA, but so many starts that fall into the Good or Dreadful category. He’s coming off one in the latter, giving up five in four innings against Boston. He’ll need to be better against the fairer Sox.
I don’t really know who Davis Martin is so we’ll have to learn together. It’s his third season in Chicago’s rotation, attempting to pitch to contact in a division full of large ballparks. Still, 17 home runs in just 112 innings reveal a pitcher that will still struggle with mistakes, and after a six-homer day in the finale of New York’s Washington series, the big bats could have another big day.
Friday: Carlos Rodón vs. Yoendrys Gómez (7:40pm)
Rodón managed to hold his own against Boston in a way that Warren couldn’t, throwing 5.2 innings and allowing a pair of runs. He hit a bit of a speedbump immediately after the All Star break, but is coming off four starts with a 2.66 ERA in 23.2 innings. This is just his second career start against his former ballclub, and the White Sox actually hit considerably better against a lefty, with a 95 wRC+ versus southpaws nine points better than their mark facing righties.
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Gómez is also trying to do the Martin Pitch to Contact thing, and it’s not working out so well. An ERA and FIP in the 4.70 range and a titanic 12 percent walk rate have driven his struggles in 32 innings of work. The former Yankee doesn’t really feature any plus pitches, generating strong extension on his drive to the plate that has yet to add much to his stuff.
Saturday: Cam Schlittler vs. Shane Smith (7:10pm)
Saturday night sees a matchup of two hard throwing righties who have proven themselves key to their teams’ future rotations. Cam has become near-appointment viewing, with one of the best four-seam fastball velos in baseball. Schlittler hasn’t allowed a run in his last two starts, with 16 strikeouts in 12.2 innings. He still does walk a touch too many batters, as finding ideal control to pair with some eye-popping stuff is the next step in this learn-on-the-job season.
Smith, meanwhile, is also a rookie figuring things out on the go, pairing a strong four-seamer with a diving changeup against right-handed hitters. A savvy Rule 5 pick from the Brewers this past offseason, he was actually the lone White Sox representative at the All-Star Game. Facing lefties, Smith will defer to a curveball that drops harder than most, but hitters on that side of the plate will take him deep more than twice as often. Cody Bellinger and Jazz Chisholm Jr., eyes up.
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Sunday: Luis Gil vs. MartÃn Pérez (2:10pm)
Gil has been an interesting project coming off his injury, with an ERA and FIP better than league average in 24 innings, despite just a 4.7 percent K-BB rate. He’s only had one truly poor start since returning, but 12 walks in his last 15.1 innings thrown shows his biggest vulnerability right now. The White Sox aren’t going to jump all over most pitchers, so throwing strikes is the order of the day for the sophomore righty.
MartÃn Pérez is the elder statesman of the Pale Hose, and has only been on the field since August 12th, having suffered a flexor strain in late April after making just four starts. He has been worth a full win in just seven starts though, with a 2.02 ERA that may indicate the old man’s still got it. He’s allowed just one earned run in his three starts since recovering, although two of them came against Atlanta and Kansas City, not exactly banner offenses in 2025.